Friday, April 10, 2009

Granfondo Gianni Motta "Citta' di Vicenza"








The Granfondo Gianni Motta "Citta' Di Vicenza" is scheduled for Sunday, April 26th. Gianni Motta's main victories as a professional rider include the Giro d'Italia (1966), a Giro di Lombardia (1964), a Tour de Suisse (1967) and two Tour de Romandie (1966, 1971). In addition, Motta was 3rd in the 1965 Tour de France behind Felice Gimondi of Italy and Raymond Pouilor of France.


After his professional career he turned to the manufacture and sales of bicycles. His frames were noted for stiff, efficient power transmission and the Italian national tri-color paint jobs on the top model, such as this 1984:



Gianni Motta is still very much the active cyclist with a busy schedule which includes leading an annual bike tour in Cuba, a Lake Garda-Dolomites-La Garda tour, and participating in other events.

Photos: GF Gianni Motta event logo; Giro d'Italia '66 on the Passo Duran ahead of Anquetil, Balmamion and Adorni; Giro d'Italia '66 on the Passo del Vetriolo where Motta made his winning move; a recent photo of Motta (in the green jersey)

Stories, including cyclking trip stories, for the Italian Cycling Journal welcome; contact veronaman@gmail.com

1 comment:

  1. Hello,
    I have two Gianni Motta framesets that I built up. One is a Personal that I built with 9 speed Record, the other is a Super Record that I built with a mix of classic Campy with Modolo brakes. They are both wonderfully stiff frames built for the beefy - I'm 220 lbs.
    While riding in Italy I ate at a restaurant that had a picture of Gianni winning the Giro, and a trophy. I was admiring them when the owner came over. She was Gianni's Aunt. The next year, I was riding in Vermont and a young woman spotted my Motta at a coffee shop. She was Gianni's niece. These two experiences have only made me happier with my Gianni Motta bikes. Love to hear from others with Mottas.
    Brian

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